The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe and better understand the meaning, structure, and essence of the experience of learning for adults labeled with learning disabilities as perceived by adults labeled with a "learning disability." Through a purposeful sampling method, six participants were chosen to participate in recorded interviews in which they described their learning experiences. The participants were adults labeled with a learning disability, these labels being socially constructed. The lived experience of each participant in those moments or contexts where their ways of learning were most difficult reveals three distinct essences of living that experience. First, it is an extremely painful experience laden with negative emotions. Second, it is an exceptionally unfair and marginalizing experience where the labels within those contexts are untrue and inaccurate. Third, it is a redefining and reframing experience where the participants continue to achieve and discover their own capabilities and potential pursuits. The findings of the study describe the experience in detail. This experience reveals the consequences of labeling. It shows the difficulty of the emotional side of the experience. It brings out the importance of context within the experience and portrays the elements of exclusion and marginalization. And finally, it sheds light on the experience of reframing and redefining self. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]